In today’s Voice news section, I wrote about how the homophobic crimes and sexual crimes against students at Georgetown has begun to affect—and possibly damage—how outsiders view Georgetown.

One particularly big affect of these crimes is that Walter Schubert, shown right, who is son and brother to three Georgetown graduates and a national figure in LGBT rights movements, is demanding a meeting with President DeGioia to share ideas he has to make Georgetown safer for marginalized students. So far, he has sent two letters to try to secure that meeting:

Dear Dr. DeGioia:

It is the intention of this letter to convey to you my deep concern at what appears to be continuing harassment of, and in some cases violent physical assault of LGBT students at Georgetown University. Despite recent positive actions by the University, it is my strong belief that the current policies and procedures intended to safeguard LGBT students on and immediately off campus remain woefully ineffective.

It may seem odd to you that I am writing this letter, as I am not a graduate of Georgetown University. However, as the son of a John Carroll Award recipient—Walter B. Schubert (1965 C’51)—the brother of two graduates of the School of Nursing: Patricia Schubert (‘84) and Margaret Schubert Sullivan (‘80), and a friend to countless Hoyas, I feel a sense of loyalty to my community, to my father, and sisters that I must speak up, as I can no longer ignore these heinous acts. Homophobia is a national problem, but as evidenced by recent events, it appears that homophobia is also a serious problem that requires urgent and revitalized attention at Georgetown University.

In speaking with Erik Smulson, your Chief of Staff, a few weeks ago, I was informed the three most recent incidents of harassment and physical assault occurring the last week of October, which put two gay students in the hospital, happened “off campus.” I have great difficulty accepting what appears to be an “off campus” defense. Many students live “off-campus” in the immediate vicinity of campus boundaries, and I don’t believe that absolves the University from responsibility to protect GU Students. It is simply irresponsible for such a prestigious, Jesuit institution to ‘ho hum’ such hateful acts that occur only inches from its front gates.

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Students at the November 2 anti-hate crime vigil

Three American University students are producing a short video about the several bias-related incidents that took place on Georgetown’s campus this semester. Though they are producing the film for a class, their main intention is to post it on the website run by “Not in Our Town,” a group that responds to hate crimes across the country.

Ashley Dejean said that she, Marley Cook, and Jasmine Rao spent three days at Georgetown filming the scene of the crimes and interviews with several students and faculty who were involved with the response to the incidents, including Carter Lavin (SFS ‘10), Ellen Greer (COL ‘11), Adam Talbot (COL ‘12), and LGBTQ Center Director Sivagami Subbaraman. The film will run between three and five minutes.

Subbaraman in the LGBTQ Center

LGBTQ Center Director Sivagami Subbaraman told the Voice that yesterday’s incident—which was described in the campus-wide email as “a written slur posted on the door of the LGBTQ Resource Center”—involved a note addressed to her personally that was taped to center’s door.

Subbaraman did not reveal the exact wording of the note, but said it was directed at her personally, not the wider gay community.

“I have no idea whether this is because of the recent hate crimes or not, but whatever it is, I just want to say that I’m not afraid of their fear,” Subbaraman said. “They are afraid of me, but I’m not afraid of their fear.”

Subbaraman said she was pleased with the University’s inclusion of her in the response to the crimes through every step of the process, including drafting the emails that went out to students after each incident.

Now, she said, the power to fight homophobia lies with the campus community. Subbaraman encourages students of all orientations to use the LGBTQ Center as a safe space, but also as an informational resource for those who are unfamiliar or disagree with homosexuality.

“We have to put out a call to say, ‘Look, we can talk this out,’” Subbaraman said. “We have made so much progress since the Center was opened. I’m nervous that this is going to set us back.”

Full text of the e-mail Subbaran sent to members of GU Pride Monday afternoon after the jump.

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A couple hundred students gathered in Red Square Monday evening holding candles to speak out against the recent anti-gay violence.

Representatives of student groups from GU Pride to the Georgetown branch of the NAACP spoke at the vigil, as well as Georgetown faculty, staff, and administrators. Chris Farris and Todd Metrokin, Co-Chairs of the D.C. group Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence, and Sergeant Carlos Mejia from MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit also made an appearance.

“We are here today in solidarity with the victims of these crimes,” Co-President of GU Pride Joseph Graumann (SFS ‘11) said. “But solidarity is more than sympathy. It’s more than just standing by. It’s about action.”

Students at the vigil advocated a range of responses to improve student safety and address what they perceive as a campus culture that tolerates homophobia. Among the suggestions were a student community watch program and higher pay for DPS officers, as well as individual precautions like programming the DPS number into cell phones and reporting crimes when they occur.

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A campus-wide e-mail was just sent out regarding the recent bias-related assaults and announced that today there was another anti-gay hate crime: a slur was written on the door of the LGBTQ Center.

According to the e-mail:

As a Catholic and Jesuit university, we are committed to fostering a community that is welcoming to all and values understanding, tolerance, inclusion and respect.  Over the past week, we have seen several incidents take place on or near campus that are especially troubling because they have targeted members of our community with homophobic language and disrespect. Two incidents were off campus assaults and today a written slur was posted on the door of the LGBTQ Resource Center. These acts are unacceptable. We take these incidents and the safety of our campus community very seriously and are taking steps to address the needs of our students at this time.

The e-mail, sent from Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson, Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Rosemary Kilkenny and Vice President for Mission and Ministry Philip L. Boroughs, strongly condemns the attacks and says that the University has been working with the Metropolitan Police Department on the cases.

Full e-mail after the jump…

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Could gender neutral bathrooms be in Georgetown’s future? A group of students working with the LGBTQ Center certainly thinks so.

On November 3rd, the group will be scouring campus looking for possible locations for gender neutral bathrooms.  The event’s Facebook description describes the need for trans-friendly accommodations thusly:

Our campus should be accessible and welcoming to all members of our community. There are and will be trans students, faculty, and staff on our campus. Trans issues have historically been marginalized, and conversations on change have been moving slowly toward implementation. GU has historically handled these issues on a person by person bases.

Gender Neutral Bathrooms are an important part of making Georgetown’s campus more trans inclusive and accessible. They are the most straight-forward issue to address (but in no way simple to implement) …

What are gender neutral bathrooms you may ask and why? The drive to ask for this comes from observing violence, harassment, and intimidation that is directed at some people routinely — transgender people especially — when they enter public facilities to undertake a basic human function. Therefore these are bathrooms that can by used by someone with any gender.

According to the Facebook event, participants will meet at the LGBTQ Center and then break off into groups to explore campus buildings.  According to the description, this is just the beginning of the campaign to create gender neutral bathrooms at Georgetown, on the main campus, as well as at the medical and law centers.

Photo by Flickr user Laughing Squid, used under a Creative Commons license.

This week Vox figured we’d give you some sense of institutional history by presenting a primer of the ten most widely-discussed campus news stories from the past couple years.
10. GUSA election debacles

GUSA Candidates, pre-squabbling

Georgetown’s student government, GUSA, doesn’t have a great record as far as presidential elections are concerned. In 2008, they experimented with instant run-off voting. They failed to conduct the election properly, though, and had to have a re-vote with the top four candidates.

This past year wasn’t much better. GUSA ditched IRV, but the election still devolved into chaos when the Election Commission disqualified two candidates hours before voting started. GUSA largely objected to the Election Commission’s decision, the election was suspended, complaints were filed, Election Commissioners resigned, and the disqualified candidates were ultimately reinstated.

9. Hoya independence and insensitivity

Students hold a sit-in after the Hoya’s April Fools’ issue

The Hoya, Georgetown’s self-proclaimed “newspaper of record,” has been trying to go independent from the University for a quite a while. Indications were that they were set to go independent this coming year.

They ran into trouble this spring when they published a racially insensitive April Fool’s issue. The issue led to protests from students and promises from the Hoya to reform.

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Georgetown’s Great White Whale

This past Saturday at 9:00 a.m., University President John DeGioia met with seventeen students to discuss The Hoya’s April Fools’ Day issue, which since its publication has been the target of much criticism, the subject of a large and emotional town hall, and the cause of a 40-student sit-in at The Hoya’s Leavey office.

The students were among those who found the issue offensive and discriminatory. According Jodi Callendar (MSB `09), one of the students attending, DeGioia said during the meeting that he would address the Georgetown student body within the next few days, and is willing to host a town hall in response to student concerns (Disclosure: Jodi was formerly the head of business for the Voice, but we’re not playing faves—students from other groups involved with these issues referred Vox’s questions to Callendar).

DeGioia plans to initially address the student body in a broadcast email. Plans from other administrators’ offices are still unclear. In an email, Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson told Vox:

“We have heard from a number of people – students, staff, and parents.  We have spoken with student leaders of The Hoya, and we are following up on the matter.”

In their meeting with DeGioia, Callendar said that the students explained  “that this wasn’t just a black issue or a homophobia issue, that students are pretty generally pissed off.” The students represented a diverse set of student groups, including GUPride, NAACP, the United Feminists, the Protestant Student Forum, SCUnity, Black Student Alliance, the Carribean Culture Circle, MEChA, and the Solidarity Committee.

DeGioia, Callendar said, “seemed genuinely concerned, and I say ’seemed’ because depending on who you ask …. But in my opinion he was genuinely upset that the Georgetown the students there saw wasn’t the one he knew and loved.”

DeGioia’s thoughts on student media oversight, after the jump.

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Get thee to a nunnery!

Earlier this week, we clucked our tongues as conservative-as-knee-socks Washington Times editor Julia Duin (creepily pictured above) balked at the fact that President DeGioia was forcing local Protestant leaders to host events with the LGBTQ Center:

“Four evangelical Protestant chaplains, all of whom are from ministries that believe homosexual activity is sinful, confirmed they got this mandate from the Rev. Constance C. Wheeler, the lead Protestant chaplain, who was passing along instructions from the president of Georgetown University, John J. DeGioia.”

Or should we say pseudo-fact. Fr. Patrick Rogers, Georgetown’s Roman Catholic Chaplain, denied that anyone forced anything in an email:

“Georgetown Protestant Ministries (including our Affiliated Ministry partners)  has never been instructed to hold any event in particular with the LGBTQ Center.  We were simply asked to engage in a conversation about how Protestant Ministries on Campus might engage the LGBTQ Center with respect to each ministries theological and religious traditions.”

He also denied Duin’s allegation that other chaplaincies at the University are exempt from events and conversations:

“This question is being asked of every chaplaincy in Campus Ministry and the conversations are just beginning … All of the faith traditions in Campus Ministry have begun conversations about how they might support the LGBTQ center.”

Julia Duin, the religion editor for the ultra-Conservative, Unification Church-owned Washington Times, reports that Georgetown Protestant groups are being strong-armed into meeting and hosting an event with the the new LGBTQ center by none other than President DeGioia—despite their theological and moral objections to the sinful, sinful lifestyle it promotes so shamelessly.

And if that’s not enough controversy for you, the Protestant chaplains thought the acknowledgment of the sodomy-supporting, sin-mongerers at the LGBTQ center was required for all religious groups, but Muslim and Jewish chaplains are apparently exempted. Are the Protestants being singled out? Duin certainly seems to think so:

“Six of these ministries — all evangelical — are the same groups that were kicked off campus two years ago after being told all Protestant ministries were being “restructured.” After much bad publicity, Georgetown eventually readmitted them.

Now they’re being asked to welcome a group some have serious philosophical objections to.”

Sounds like the Thirty Years’ War redux to me…

Via Creative Minority Report.